For Cindy!

My friend Cindy, who is awesome and fun, said she didn't have any

 "marcieart" as she calls it - all one word.

She mentioned that the other friend we pal around with had more than one piece of "marcieart", ( there may or may not have been a little pouting involved), so I decided I better get on it. This verse was perfect for her and her workspace at her church. She's a great, great teacher!! So I cranked this out and delivered it yesterday over Starbucks and hours of chatting!!

While running around the house on this gloomy, sunless day ( we are feeling the effects of Hurricane Isaac, weather-wise ) and trying to get a good picture I found out that this looked pretty good on my tangerine door!!

Apparently, I am more "in" to these colors than I realized because it looks good with the colors on my porch cushions - of course, there is every color on this porch.

But I gave it to her anyway!!! So I guess now it's Cindyart !!

This "marcieart" was painted on my favorite Dick Blick canvases ( no kick back from Dick Blick STILL but they are on sale and I'm stocking up so I thought I'd share the link!!!) and the flowers are Mod Podged scrapbook paper. Easy peasy.

Pumpkins and Snowmen and Spiders, Oh My!!!

... or another title might be " What's on the Work Table Right Now!" 

I asked a while back if you were started on Halloween or Christmas Crafts yet??

Well, I had to get started this week because I signed up for the WWIT Craft Show.

It's not really called the WWIT Craft Show. I just call it the  " What Was I Thinking" Craft Show. It has a much nicer name and it is a lovely weekend planned by the ladies at church.

 
I call it that because, well, what was I thinking?? I signed up back in February or March and it seemed so far away :) I saw a little boy in a t-shirt once that said, " It seemed like a good idea at the time"  I think that I need that shirt. 

I haven't done a craft show in probably a decade.
 I am enjoying getting started on all these ornaments and doodling ideas for the rest of my "creations."  But what was I thinking??

 

And if your work table is all tidy and organized ( unlike this one ) when you create please don't share that little tidbit with me!

I'll keep you posted on how it's going... at least I have until October :)

 

 

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I LOVE My Porch!

After a question or two about where College Girl was in this post I decided to share a few pics of my porch. We truly love our porch. We use it year 'round and even here in the South that means we are sometimes wrapped up in a blanket to be out here but we love it that much. It is beachy and comfy and fun!! These are pictures of one side - I'll post the rest another day. We love it morning, noon and night. I start every day out here with coffee and it is our favorite dinner spot as well. The dogs love this porch, too. Our friends love this porch. We entertain here even if we have to crank up propane heaters in the Winter. We have had Christmas Eve and St. Patty's Day parties on this porch!! We had more than 225 people for College Girls HS graduation party. It's a big porch :)

 

 
We have a hanging bed on this side of the porch. It is overflowing with pillows and cushions and is the best napping spot in town. If College Girl is home for more than an hour this is where you will find her and the doggies right beside her :) If she has required reading for class or is reading for fun, this is the spot! My husband built this from pictures I had been saving forever.

 
We have adirondack chairs in every corner of this porch. We built them from kits and painted each one a different color. There are plants and lamps and places to sit and eat.

We love this yard sale find table. Lamp from Wal Mart, candle holders from IKEA, crab from my sister. Nothing is expensive or to be worried about. We have FUN on this porch.

 
We repurposed an old mantel and everything looks better with twinkle lights.
 This porch is amazing at night!

The only improvement would be if it was actually at the beach and we could hear the waves. There is a pond with a mermaid fountain right outside this section of the porch so you can take a nap listening to trickling water. It's good but it's not waves!!

 

We built this hutch from a recycled kitchen cabinet and found lumber to house a TV and DVD player but we took it out a while back because we just relax and read on the swinging bed.
I love this porch because it reminds me of the screened porches of my childhood summers on the beaches around Charleston, SC. My cousin and I slept outside on "sleeping porches" at Bonneau Beach, Georgetown and IOP. Nothing like it!
I read a quote years ago in a decorating magazine that said, "If everyone in America had a screened porch to come home to the whole country would be a better place." I think it's true.

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Rush, Rush, Rush....

It's called "Recruitment" now but back in the day it was "Rush."

College Girl and her sisters are busy, busy getting ready for whatever you want to call it to start. They are doing an amazing job organizing a big event, updating the decor at their house, getting their rooms ready and finding the perfect dresses to wear. They are taking a little break tomorrow from primping and fluffing to help "Unpack the Pack." They are the Wolves and tomorrow is move in day on campus for the "Wolf Pack". All the Greek organizations stop what they are doing and spend the day helping all the Freshman move into the dorms. It is hot (remember this is the South, deep South) and it is hard work. Two years ago when we hauled College Girls stuff to campus we were most impressed with the efficient, friendly help from the student volunteers. We drew the first unloading - leaving home before 7 am - but unloading in the early morning coolish air. Also impressive was the fact that the University President greeted us in a t-shirt matching all the other volunteers and proceeded to unload our truck!! Not just chat and shake hands but unloaded all those boxes and tubs from our truck and her car!!

So now that College Girl and her sisiters are Upperclassmen they are returning the favor and working hard all morning. They do follow the "unpacking" with manis and pedis - I mean, they are Sorority Girls getting ready to "rush."

I've had a fun couple of weeks spending some time at the Chi O House planting flowers, delivering the finishing touches on the dorm decor project and making some owls goodies (remember these ??) to be used in the "rush" process. Fun for me - those girls are so much fun to spend time with :)

And, speaking of "rushing"

 someone actually told me that there are 128 days til Christmas...

Seriuosly??? It is in the 90's. It's not "beginning to feel a lot like Christmas", that's for sure.

PS. If these pictures look like they were taken in the middle of the night???... sorry, they are dark ,but they were :) That's when I made, finished and photographed them!!  I need to read up on photographing items at 2 am and how to make the pictures better - haha!!

Back To School....

It is Back-to School time in Metro Atlanta... some counties went back on August 2nd. I don't know why we go back when it is 100 degrees outside and hotter than that on a school bus, but we do. I think it is still Summer (even if retailers do not. I was looking for popsicles in the plastic tube last week for a Splash Night at church and they weren't anywhere to be found. Just the kind with the stick. When I asked someone at the store if they had them they said that popsicles like that were a seasonal item and no longer available. Seriuosly, it is August. It is 100 degrees. I think that's popsicle season!!) and I will not give up shorts and flip flops until it starts to cool off in October. Once the public schools go back it is time for the private preschools to get ready for their school year and I am off to lots of teacher trainings and conferences in late July and all during August.

I hit the road with my bag ( actually plastic tote tubs) of tricks and I get to meet so many enthusiastic and talented teachers! This year I had two different programs that I presented multiple times : "If You are WILD about Teaching, then They Will Be WILD About Learning!" which is fun because the directors and conference organizers call me and say, " Can you come on such and such a date and do 'WILD' we heard it's .... WILD !!!' and then they laugh and the second one is Polka Dots, Checks and Stripes- Encouraging Creativity in the Classroom.

 

 Just a few pictures of  my " show on the road. "

  We did squeeze in a few days in South Florida.... Oh my gosh, it is a.maz.ing. I love South Florida. I have since my first visit to Marco Island and I haven't found anywhere in South FL that I haven't thought was beautiful. The pic below is Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Side, south of Tampa near Sarasota. Stumbled upon a little beach bar and grill at Manatee Beach and had incredible fish tacos, coconut shrimp Caesar salad and local music!! And a killer sunset!! 

 

I saw this on Pinterest

 ( sorry it would not let me link to original post) and

had to jazz it up to put outside my office door. I've taken it with me to a training ( even if it is big) because the teachers are loving it!!!

And you know the kiddos will know it in no time at all!!

 

 

It it outside my office door on my polka dotted bench!!

But there's a lot to do today so...

 I better swish, Jellyfish!!




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